I’m celebrating the release of book #2 in my Geek Girl Mysteries series and there will be PRIZES!

It’s been three months since Jake Archer rolled into town, accused Mia Connors of murder and stole her heart. She hasn’t heard from him since. So when a man collapses at the fall Renaissance Faire, she’s surprised to see the US marshal arrive on scene. And shocked when he points the finger at her—again. Mia would sooner be able to resurrect the poor fellow than poison him.

Jake Archer’s career has been rising fast, but it’s about to come to a crashing halt. The Ren-Faire victim was in protective custody—Jake’s custody—and they were painfully close to nabbing a major crime boss. If Jake doesn’t solve the murder soon, he’ll be fetching donuts instead of protecting his nation. A difficult enough task without the alluring Mia Connors in the way.

Working with Jake to catch the killer might push Mia into crazy-cat-lady territory. But with a murderer on the loose—and Mia’s reputation on the line—they’ll have to work fast to find the killer before the killer finds them.

A part of Mercy died the summer her sister tragically drowned. Now Mercy has a chance to discover if Faith’s death was an accident—or murder. Her first step is to confront the lead suspects: a band of traveling gypsies—the last people who saw her sister alive. But Mercy finds an unexpected ally in Cross, the soulful musician in their ranks. He’s a kindred spirit, someone who sees into her heart for the first time in, well, forever. Yet stirring up the past puts Mercy in danger…

Suddenly someone is shadowing Mercy’s every move, making her even more determined to uncover the facts. With Cross by her side, she is ready to face it all, even if that means opening up to him, knowing he may one day leave her. What she discovers is a truth that rocks the foundation of her small river town—and a love worth risking everything for….

Huge thanks to Kensington Books and YA Bound Blog Tours for this all-star line up!

Authors have to get their facts straight. Authenticity is a huge part of storytelling. It’s true! For me, that means getting my boots on the ground. I’m a total research nerd, and immersion is by far my favorite method for getting the details perfect, especially when it comes to locale. I can watch movies and tourist videos, review photos and ask questions, but there are some things I just have to experience to understand. Culture is one of those things. So, I travel. (Hey, what can I say? It’s a tough job). Once I’ve exhausted all the resources available from home, I compile a list of my remaining questions, buy my plane tickets and wave adios to rural Ohio. C-Ya!

My latest destination? New Orleans. July 28th – August 2nd. It was Ah-Mazing.

**I was there. I took this photo. I still can’t believe it.**

(That’s St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square, the heart of the French Quarter)

I’d read about the city for months, years really, it’s been a lifelong dream of mine to visit. I’d even interviewed several lifelong residents, but I still didn’t know what it felt like there. I needed to know. I’m very “method” like that. I have to experience things as a means for understanding them. It’s how my brain works.

(This was my new boyfriend… until he dumped me for a voodoo doll)

What was I saying? Oh yeah. Despite all I’d read, I still didn’t know what NOLA air felt like on my skin or what it smelled like. What was the vibe there? How about the people? The accents? The traffic? Road conditions? How about the most common expressions, attire, sights, sounds…I could go on. I really could. I have a list. So, when one of my 2014 mysteries was named a finalist in the BTS eMag Awards in New Orleans, I made plans to get answers for my research, and while I was at it, I’d attend the Red Carpet Awards! Look at me getting all the birds with just the one stone!

**Red Carpet Awards selfie.** Told you I was there!

Okay, but before the awards, I spent about three months making an hour-by-hour itinerary for six days beginning at 6:00 am each morning and ending at midnight each night. I stayed three nights in the French Quarter and two in the Central Business District. In the Quarter, my hotel (Dauphine Orleans) was haunted and so was May Bailey’s, the attached bar and former brothel. The bar was haunted by brothel workers and Civil War soldiers, in case you wondered. People really think this. Ghost hunters have been there to *document* the happenings. It’s adorable. The hotel was one little block away from Bourbon Street, so the only strange things I saw during my stay came crawling home at dawn in last night’s clothes….or lack thereof.

As an aside: everything in NOLA is allegedly haunted. NOLA folks are incredibly superstitious and believe all the things, so I learned quickly to nod, appropriately wide-eyed, in faux agreement. They didn’t understand or appreciate my: Ohio people think that’s hokum attitude, so I adjusted. I mean, when in Rome, right? Haunted, you say? 0_0 Oh, my!

Anyway. I took a three hour segway tour around the neighboring boroughs, visited Armstrong Park and fun places like Treme.

I rode streetcars and took a jazz dinner cruise up the Mississippi.

I took the ferry to Algiers.

Toured a convent and two cathedrals.

Went on a culinary history tour through the French Market and watched them make beignets and pralines. Yum!

I did a Ghost tour through the French Quarter, and a historic pub crawl down Bourbon Street,

(That’s me in the center with my go-cup)

two cemetery tours,

I enjoyed a delightful walking tour of the Garden District and got tons of details for my book,

The true crime tour wasn’t as fabulous as the others, but I went! I also visited three local museums including the 1850′s house, the Cabildo and the Presbytere, where I learned about the city’s history from actual city historians,(My inner nerd is still amped about this) plus I read up on the evolution of Mardi Gras and saw tons of jaw dropping displays.

I sobbed inside the Katrina museum like a baby. I just can’t with that. SMH.

I had the muffaletta at Napoleons

and a purple drank at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. (Not a typo. It’s called a purple drank).

I ordered cafe au lait and beignets at Cafe Du Monde, and they were delicious.

Spoke to fifty cabbies and soaked in three hundred years of everything in roughly 120 hours (traveling, even by plane, took the better part of two of my days – one going and one coming BUT I took notes on that too, all in the name of research). Oh, and did I mention the Faulkner House Bookstore in Pirate’s Alley? Gorgeous. I died a little in there. Happily.

I loved this trip more than most. It was a lifetime in the making for me, and it culminated in a little extra unexpected baggage for the plane ride home.

I won at the Red Carpet Awards! My novel, Murder Comes Ashore, took first place in the Mystery category and earned an honorable mention for their readers’ choice novel of the year!

Ahhh, I miss you already, New Orleans, but you’ve cultivated a place in my heart, and one day I’ll have novel proof of your impact on me. *Stage sigh* I seriously LOVE research!

IT manager Mia Connors is up to her tortoiseshell glasses in technical drama when a glitch in the Horseshoe Falls email system disrupts security and sends errant messages to residents of the gated community. The snafu’s timing couldn’t be worse—Renaissance Faire season is in full swing and Mia’s family’s business relies on her presence.

Mia doesn’t have time to hunt down a computer hacker. Her best friend has disappeared, and she finds another of her friends murdered—in her office. When the hunky new head of Horseshoe Falls security identifies Mia as the prime suspect, her anxiety level registers on the Richter scale.

Eager to clear her name, Mia moves into action to locate her missing buddy and find out who killed their friend. But her quick tongue gets her into trouble with more than the new head of security. When Mia begins receiving threats, the killer makes it clear that he’s closer than she’d ever imagined.

Okay, you guys. The time has come. Murder in Real Time is in stores and I have an awesome, super fun scavenger hunt for you. AND I have prizes. I want you to have my prizes. Here’s how you get the prizes:

Check your local participating retailer for Murder in Real Time. It will be on the racks under the HARLEQUIN banner, sitting proudly with the big girls. It looks like this:

How to Play:

1, Find the book in a local store (WalMart, KMart, Meijer, Fred Meyers, Books-A-Million)

2. Take a picture and share it on your social media. Be sure to add me so I see it: @JulieALindsey on Twitter or tag me on FaceBook.

3. Tell me WHERE you found it

4. YOU WIN!

I’ll share your picture with my followers and contact you about your prize. How easy is that?

Okay, but what’s the book about?

Murder in Real Time

Book three of The Patience Price Mysteries

With the chaos of summer tourists and fall birders out of town, counselor Patience Price is looking forward to the quiet life she remembers. She longs for some peace. And an apple fritter. But the calm is cut short when a reality show sets up camp to film a special about ghosts on her little island. Now fans, reporters and crew have flocked to sleepy Chincoteague. Who knew ghost hunters had an entourage?

When two cast members are killed in a room at the local B&B—a room usually occupied by Patience’s FBI agent boyfriend, Sebastian—she finds herself on the case. Sebastian doesn’t want Patience ruffling any feathers but, as always, she can’t help herself.

Patience promises to let Sebastian handle the investigation—he is FBI, after all—but after a drive-by shooting, her wicked curiosity gets the best of her. And with the TV show forging ahead with filming, the list of suspects (and the line of food trucks) only grows. But has the shooter already flown the coop? And how do you find a killer when you don’t know who the target is?

What are people saying about it?

The mystery is interesting and kept me flipping the pages until the end … I felt like I was one of the islanders…

~The Gal in the Blue Mask

Will keep the reader hooked all the way to the end… a must read.

~Booklady’s Booknotes

Murder, mayhem and a dash of romance …

~The Ninja Librarian

This was a fun new mystery. I want to know more and will go back to read the first two in the series.

~Rantin’, Ravin’ and Reading

This book is a captivating whodunit…You will not be able to put this book down once you start.

~Shelley’s Book Case

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance/mystery story. The characters were a lot of fun. I loved the island setting!

I’ve got digital copies of Murder by the Seaside AND Murder Comes Ashore, book 2 in the series. I’ve got copies of Misty of Chincoteague, a classic story of the island ponies. Stuffed plushie ponies, cool nautical jewelry, coffee cards for my fellow caffeine addicts, you name it, I’ve got it. I want you to have it. SO, 1. find MURDER IN REAL TIME at a local store, 2. tell me WHERE you found it and 3. share a picture .

Where can I find it?

Check your local North American WalMart, KMart, Meijer, BooksA Million and Fred Meyer for Murder in Real Time in June & July 2015, then share a pic of your find with me!